Water Board Okays Projects Along Wekiva

June 12, 1985|By Mike Thomas of The Sentinel Staff

PALATKA — Plans for three developments along the Wekiva and Little Wekiva rivers in Seminole County were tentatively approved Tuesday by regional water managers. In other action, the governing board of the St. Johns River Water Management District rejected a company's proposal to build condominiums on stilts in a Clay County wetland where a loud siren would alert residents about approaching floods.

The three Wekiva area subdivisions would cover more than 3,300 acres, but the majority of the land would be preserved in conservation areas.

The board gave what it calls conceptual approval of the projects, which means the developers will have to bring back final engineering designs for final approval.

Sabal Point Properties of Longwood was permitted to proceed with planning for a 368-acre residential development with a 148-acre golf course on the Little Wekiva. The company has agreed to set aside 2,290 acres for recreation and wildlife areas.

Plans for the 121-unit River Crest development on the Wekiva River also were tentatively approved. The development by E. Everette Huskey of Maitland is planned for 175 acres. Each homesite would be at least one acre.

Sid Roche Jr. of Longwood received permission to go ahead with plans for a 115-acre residential development on the Wekiva. Roche has agreed to set aside 287 acres in conservation areas.

While not opposing the developments, members of Friends of the Wekiva said the district needs to study the Wekiva drainage basin to determine the cumulative impact of such projects on the two rivers.

Duke Woodson, director of permits for the district, said the agency doesn't have such information and warned that too much development could have a ''devastating impact'' on the waterways. It would be too late to undo the damage after the subdivisions are approved, he said.

Earlier Tuesday a district budget committee approved spending $65,000 to compile the data. Studies would include aerial photography of the Wekiva drainage basin and monitoring of groundwater and surface water.

The studies still must be approved by the district board in budget hearings in September and October.

''We are pleased,'' said Pat Hardin, president of Friends of the Wekiva. ''We hope from these studies, they realize they need more information to make intelligent decisions. We are not anti-development. We just want intelligent decisions.''

In a 6 to 3 vote, the governing board refused to give New Shelters Inc. of Orange Park permission to build in the Black Creek area of Clay County south of Jacksonville and west of the St. Johns.

''I've sat on this board a long time and I can't believe what I'm hearing,'' said Mike Braddock of Pierson. ''Putting people on stilts in an area where dams are going to break. I couldn't vote for it in a million years.''

Developers seeking a water management permit from the district were willing to build 40 quadruplexes on 15-foot stilts because engineers said four nearby dams probably would not hold back flood waters in the Black Creek area south of Jacksonville.

Since the only road out of the subdivision would flood during heavy rains, a siren would be used to alert residents to evacuate.

Board member Fran Pignone of Orlando said she doubted whether a mother could round up three children playing in the woods in time to get them out after the siren sounded.

District board members were miffed that Clay County officials first opposed the project, then approved it then opposed it again in a letter.

One of the developers, Ken O'Leary, said it would take several days for a flood to reach a dangerous level, so residents would have plenty of time to evacuate. He also said more than 200 acres of wetlands would be donated to a conservation organization if the development were built.

''I look at the project like building on the beach,'' he said. ''If anyone stays on the beach during a hurricane, they are crazy. You can't legislate stupidity.''